5 Reasons to Volunteer for a Twin Cities in Motion Race

Editor’s Note: This post is written by Minneapolis Running Ambassador, Alisa Dean, and has been edited for length and clarity.

When I broke my toe less than a week before the Twin Cities in Motion Hot Dash, I decided that I would volunteer if I couldn’t run. I’m so glad that I did! Kelli, Volunteer & Community Outreach Manager at TCM, was amazing and let me wait until the day before the race to decide if I would volunteer because I was still holding out hope my toe would magically heal.

On Friday morning I let Kelli know that I’d be volunteering and got an email from the Hot Dash Course Chair with all the details I needed to know for the race.

On the morning of the Hot Dash, all the course volunteers got together at 7:30 am for coffee, granola bars, hand warmers, TCM hats, and instructions. My team lead was Brian and he was great at making sure I knew where I was going, what my role was, and what I could expect at the end of the race. Since my location was Bohemian Flats, I got to see all the 10-mile runners including fellow Minneapolis Running Ambassador Jeff!

What I took away from my TCM volunteering experience (aside from the awesome hat) was a great sense of community. Everything was well organized so that I could just go out there and cheer folks on. I met lots of local runners on their morning river runs, a police officer helping keep the course safe, a doctor who was helping out at the race, and so many amazing runners working hard on the course. It was great to be a part of the Hot Dash in a different way when I couldn’t be out there running.

5 Reasons to Volunteer for a TCM Race

Here are my top 5 reasons to volunteer for a race with TCM:

1. They take care of their volunteers.

I hadn’t even thought about hand warmers and they had some there to give out to everyone who wanted them! Brian came around to check in on me after I was settled in my location and took the time to really say hello instead of a 10-second thumbs up.

2. It is so much fun to cheer on the runners!

I remember being in races having my “Running Angry Face” on and it was the volunteers that made me smile. I got to be part of that for other runners and so many of them had me laughing and smiling throughout the morning.

3. You never know who you’re going to meet.

Apparently, the neon volunteer vest attracts a lot of attention. Folks on their morning runs wanted to know what race was happening including a guy from Colorado that was staying at a local hotel.

4. Fun outfits!

There might not be as many at other TCM races, but this one is a great one for the outfits. There were many lumberjacks (both with real and fake beards), a Babe The Blue Ox, plaid tutus, and a couple of folks who defined their look as “lumbersexuals”.

5. Gear check.

I can’t even count how many times I thought “oh those are nice shoes!” or “what kind of running belt is that?” It’s a great way to see what gear is working for folks and if there is anything you might want to test out yourself.

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